


Silver Poison And Fevered Dreams

by SykoShadowRose



Series: Syko's 2020 Christmas Gift Collection [5]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alpha Clover Ebi, Alpha James Ironwood, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe- Werewolves, Bottom Clover Ebi, Bottom James Ironwood, Bottom Qrow Branwen, F/M, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Qrow Branwen, Top Clover Ebi, Top James Ironwood, background characters mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:46:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28323324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SykoShadowRose/pseuds/SykoShadowRose
Summary: Clover saves an omega from silver poisoning and he brings their pack together more than he'd ever thought possible.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi/James Ironwood, Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood, Raven Branwen/Summer Rose/Taiyang Xiao Long
Series: Syko's 2020 Christmas Gift Collection [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074167
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37
Collections: Vampires and Others In Remnant





	Silver Poison And Fevered Dreams

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StoryWeaverKirea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoryWeaverKirea/gifts).



Clover carried the limp body through the halls of the mansion to his rooms. By all rights he should be taking the injured to the infirmary and then reporting to his alpha what he’d happened upon but his quarters were closer (much closer) and the werewolf needed treatment _fast_. A bear trap alone would be painful, dangerous, but not deadly. Not an iron one. Not to their kind. But the hunters that had set it had been smart, crafty. They’d covered the teeth of the device with silver dust to poison their quarry but still lay unnoticed until it was too late. 

He didn’t know how long the black wolf had been trapped before he’d stumbled across the unconscious form but he knew it was long enough. He thanked every god he could name that their kind tended to revert back to human when they were knocked out since it had allowed the other were to shift as soon as he was freed, even if it had been an involuntary change. Clover wasn’t sure how he would have tended the other if he’d stayed a wolf. And he needed tending desperately. The silver dust had already entered the man’s bloodstream. Already the raven’s veins were greying from the corrosive metal, his skin turning blue. Clover had silverthorn potions in his room in case of emergencies. He just had to get there in time. The raven wolf’s breath stuttered.

He didn’t have much time left if he wanted to save him. 

Clover practically broke down his own doors to lay the were in his bed, rushing to his medical cabinet to grab both the silverthorn potion and a salve made from the plant. Returning to the bed with some additional supplies, Clover carefully sat the thin body up, propped against his side so he could carefully feed him the potion. Once he’d gotten the silverthorn down the other wolf’s throat he laid the man down and shifted to the bottom of the bed to cut away the pant leg around the wound. He cleaned the area, smoothing the silverthorn salve over the injury before wrapping it in gauze. 

Clover waited anxiously for the signs of the silver poisoning to start fading before he checked the other over for additional injuries. Finding none, he did his best to ensure his unexpected guest would be comfortable and wrote a note explaining what had happened and where he was. He needed to talk to James about the traps and the wolf but he didn’t want the man panicking if he woke up alone in a strange place. The last thing they needed was a strange wolf running through the halls of their den in a panic. He still hesitated before leaving, something in the smaller male’s scent emerging now that the silver was leaving his system. 

Oh.

_Oh!_

He was an omega.

Clover couldn’t put off talking to the alpha of his pack though, no matter what his alpha instincts were screaming at him. 

Eventually he managed to force himself away, going to find the wolf that kept their pack and their territory safe from other packs that were often much larger than their own. The big black alpha wolf would know what to do but first he had to be told about the traps and the hunters who laid them as well as the unknown werewolf. He didn’t look familiar so it was possible he was part of a nomadic pack which were often small like their own but usually very, very dangerous due to their need to scavenge to survive. It was a lot of information, and James needed all of it to act.

~*~

Qrow wasn’t sure what surprised him more: waking up in a very tidy, comfortable bedroom or waking up at all.

He’d been so, so sure that he’d die when he had failed to gain the leverage he needed to pry open the silver dusted trap. Obviously someone had found him and that would have sent him into a panic because he knew perfectly well why omegas were saved by alphas (and the scent of the room indicated that it did belong to an alpha) but two things stopped him. The first was that though his injuries had been tended to, he was still wearing the clothes he’d put on himself and he was even still covered with some dirt and debri. The second reason he didn’t panic was that he was not restrained in any way and all of the doors in the room were open so he could see what was behind them. 

Whoever the alpha was, they’d seen to his wounds and poisoning and then left him to sleep it off.

Qrow threw his legs over the side of the previously pristine bed in preparation to stand. One of those doors led to a bathroom from what he could see and he intended to use it. Before he pushed off to test his weight on his leg, Qrow noticed a note on the bedside table and picked it up. Scanning over the neatly written words brought him some sense of relief. The alpha wolf (Clover, the note was signed Clover) had found him and used silverthorn to purge the poison in his blood before wrapping his leg and going to warn the alpha of his pack about the traps. He was offered the use of the bathroom and whatever clothes he could find that would fit him if he woke before Clover returned. There was also an invitation to use the small kitchen if he was hungry when he woke along with directions on where the phone was located if he needed to contact his pack.

Clover had seen to everything he needed while keeping him calm, which was pretty damned impressive for an alpha who wasn’t even in the room with him.

While Qrow really should contact his pack and let them know what had happened, he felt it may be better to wait until he had more information on Clover and his pack as well as proper instructions to wherever he was. So first he’d clean up and then he’d consider food. Hopefully the alpha would return relatively soon so that they could talk.

~*~

James followed Clover through the halls, trying to keep his thoughts clear and organized. It would do no good to jump to conclusions before he had all the information. He would talk to the wolf Clover had rescued first and decide where to go from there.

When they reached the brunette’s rooms Clover paused to knock and waited a few heartbeats before opening the door, warning the omega that they had returned and were entering. James approved of the caution, though he wished it was unnecessary. Hopefully by now the omega realized that the alphas of their pack were not the kind to expect some kind of payment for rescuing him.

The wolf he saw upon entering was tall, though shorter than the two of them, and lean with silver dusted raven hair and eyes a soft shimmering red. The clothes he was wearing hung off his slender frame, shirt and pants smothering him in Clover’s scent and nearly covering his own. James bit back the instinctive jealousy that the rough but beautiful unmated omega carried another alpha’s scent on him. That wasn’t what either of them where after, it wasn’t what they were there for. Neither of them were planning to claim the male and he would have to keep it in mind so his hindbrain didn’t act up to cause trouble where none belonged.

The two alphas approached the smaller male standing in the kitchen slowly, keeping a respectable distance so that they didn’t make him feel uncomfortable or threatened.

“Hello. My name is Clover. This is my pack alpha, James. He would like to ask some questions and of course, we’ll answer what questions you have. Is that okay?”

Qrow looked at the two of them, eyes flicking from the softly smiling brunette to the tall, not quite frowning, raven behind him. “Yea, sure. Names Qrow… We going back and forth or taking turns?”

“Whichever will make you more comfortable.” James’s voice was smoother than he thought it would be and he held back a blush.

“Alright then. Let’s start with where am I, exactly? The note kinda left that part out except that I was in your den. Right now if I call my pack, I haven’t got much to tell them how to find me.”

“Ah. My apologies, that was my oversight.” Clover offered a sheepish smile, quickly snatching up a notepad and pen to jot down the information. “Here. This is the address so they can come get you, and the number they can call to talk to you.”

Vermillion eyes switched between the two again as a pale hand reached out to accept the additional paper. “Your turn.”

“I have two, if that is acceptable.” James waited for the lithe male to wave him on before continuing. “Are the hunters that laid the traps still in the area? And does your pack need protection from them if they are?”

Blinking rapidly, Qrow tried to process the questions which were not at all what he was expecting. He’d been anticipating the usual territorial alpha bullshit about him and his pack being on their turf. “I think they’re still lurking around. My pack would know better. And I’d need to ask if they’d even be willing to accept any protection.”

“That’s understandable. We’ll organize a search of the area with our pack while you speak with your’s. You can let them know that they are welcome to approach any of us while we are out if they are willing. If not, I assume you will be going out to meet them yourself.” James really hoped they’d stay. Not just because of the omega but because the two packs working together had a much better chance against the hunters.

“I’ll see if I can talk them into it.” The talk alpha nodded in understanding, motioning for Clover to follow as he left the room. Qrow watched them go curiously, head tipped as they closed the door behind them. He had expected them to demand more information, to demand that he not go anywhere alone, especially outside, as he was an ummated omega.

He wasn’t sure if they hadn’t because they thought more of him than most other alphas and believed he could take care of himself despite having been caught in the trap, or if they thought less of him and assumed he would be too “tamed” to do anything he didn’t think he was allowed to do. 

The opposing options made him scowl, frustrated at not being able to read the two alphas as easily as he could usually read the dynamic. He huffed out a sigh as he lifted the paper, memorizing the address on it before he reached for the phone to call his pack. It was entirely possible that Summer and Tai would be willing to take the offered protection. Raven was the one he was uncertain about. He knew his twin’s pride but with Yang and Ruby being so young there was a chance she’d cave to her mates pleas for the safety of their children. He just had to help them convince her if that was the case. 

He noticed his hand trembling as he lifted the phone, staring at it blankly before he realized what was going on. He moved quickly once he had figured it out. He needed his pack and he needed them here, where it would be safe.

~*~

James returned to the scent of others in his den, his instincts trying to rear up at the perceived invasion of his sanctuary. He fought it down, forced his hindbrain back so he could meet the new werewolves peacefully. He was fairly certain that these wolves were the ones that traveled with Qrow and if they were here then they had probably accepted his offer of protection. The rest of his pack shifted uneasily, fighting back their own instincts as they entered the common room to find a much, much smaller gathering than he had expected. He knew that nomadic packs tended to be small but they were usually two or three families with a few members from each. This one was but four adults and two children, easily the smallest pack he had ever met. It was no wonder they had accepted if they were the targets of the hunters. 

One of the females sat curled on a couch with the two children napping on her while a tall blond and the other female stood talking to Qrow. The blond was an alpha by his scent but the two women, like most females, were difficult to discern by scent alone. From their behavior, he was guessing the one tending the children was an omega and the one standing was an alpha, though it was not a certainty. 

The two talking with Qrow frowned worriedly and positioned themselves between them and him. It was then that he noticed the way the omega’s eyes were blown and glassy, the way his skin was flushed, his breathing a little too fast, his scent a little too sweet under the mask of Clover’s. 

Oh…

_Oh, shit!_

James kicked himself for not thinking about it while he’d been talking to Qrow after Clover had told him how close the other had been to death, for not paying enough to see the signs before they had gone out to hunt the hunters. Panic heats after a life threatening experience were not uncommon, he should have realized such a thing would happen to the omega Clover had saved. There was a tenseness that ran through the members of his pack as they realized what was happening, the alphas quickly exiting the room when he turned to leave himself. James placed a quick hand on Marrow’s shoulder as he passed, the younger omega giving a sharp nod in understanding. They had a place set aside specifically for these situations. Marrow would take him there and explain things, show him which herbs would help, and then leave him so he would feel safe inside the barricaded room. Afterwards, once Qrow was safely away from the rest of them and properly protected from them in return, they could talk with the rest of his pack about what they’d found.

~*~

“If _anything_ happens to him…”

“I give you my word, on the honor of my pack, nothing ill shall befall your twin.” James met the burning red eyes steadily, understanding her concern even if it was unneeded here. “Marrow is one of our omegas and he took Qrow to a panic room. Only he can open the door and it only opens and closes from the inside. He is completely safe and has access to anything he might need until the fever passes.”

Raven breathed deep, taking in the large alpha’s scent. It was crisp, clean. It reminded her of the green apples her brother was so fond of. But there was no trace of deception, no underlying bitterness of lies. Either he was very good at masking his lies or he truly meant what he said. Seeing as they could have claimed her brother as their’s before he’d ever woken from his poisoning, she was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and believe them. For now. Tai placed a hand on her shoulder, silently asking her to stand down. They were in this pack’s territory, in their _den_ with their mate and children. Provoking them unnecessarily was both unwise and dangerous. 

“Right… So you found the hunters’ trail while out?”

James allowed some of the tenseness to leave his shoulder, relieved to be on the topic that was a more direct threat to them all. “Indeed. We didn’t follow as it seemed… _Too_ convenient for the trail to be so clear, given how deceptive the hunters appear to be with their silver traps but we might be giving them too much credit…” He frowned slightly, holding back a sigh at all the unknowns.

“Better to be overcautious than under cautious.” Tai shrugged, not willing to put any of them, even the wolves he hadn’t yet met, in danger if he didn’t have to. “They’ve been stalking us for quite a while and we’ve never been able to spot them. And if they managed to snag Qrow…”

“It’s good that you followed your instincts.” The smaller female joined them, the children safely tucked into a loaned bed in the other room. Summer offered a gentle smile. “They are not to be underestimated and you made the right choice James. Thank you for giving us shelter.” Her eyes flicked to the wolf to his left. “And thank _you_ for saving our Qrow.”

Clover smiled at her, tipping his head. "I couldn't just leave him to die."

“Yes, you could have.” Raven’s voice was hollow, her eyes distant and he wondered if she was remembering someone that had been left behind or a time one of them had been left to die. 

James cleared his throat, pulling the maps between them closer so he could mark indicators on it. “This is where Clover found Qrow. There were more of the same traps along this path and another set here, here, here, and here. They seemed to be focused around spots that might appeal to you as a temporary home. There were other less dangerous traps along this path and these paths over here. The trail we found started here and went cold around this spot before it picked back up over here. We believe it leads to this ravine. The walls are high and if you don’t know it’s there, it’s easy to fall in. It’s a good spot for an ambush.”

“They were hoping that we’d be enraged by Qrow’s death and charge after them blindly…” Tai frowned down at the papers, memorizing all the places that were marked down.

“I don’t think they cared which of you died, just that the rest of you were too out of control to think properly.” Clover wished he knew what exactly the hunters were plotting but there wasn’t enough information gathered yet to figure that out beyond the basics of killing them all. 

“Regardless, they are a threat as long as they are out there…” James pushed the maps towards the other pack so they could take it to look over whenever they wanted. “And for that reason, you are welcome to stay for as long as you’d like.” 

“Thank you. We’ll do what we can to help catch these assholes.” Tai took the papers, passing them over to Summer to study. They would let Qrow look them over when he came out of isolations and Raven once she’d come back from her memories. Until then, they’d have to rest and plan.

~*~

Summer wondered if her pack realized what was happening. They had been with the larger pack in their den for over a month now and they had already been integrated, their girls playing with the children, becoming particularly close with two girls about their age. Beyond that, she wondered if Qrow realized he was being courted by the two leading alpha males of the pack. James and Clover were careful, their overtures so subtle she wasn’t certain _they_ realized they were courting him, but they were definitely courting him. And Qrow wasn’t turning them away. It was easier for her to read him. To see the way he allowed them a little closer than the other alphas. 

What surprised her was that the two alphas weren’t fighting over him.

Instead they seemed to be working together to get him. And it was _working_.

She smothered a smile as Clover _casually_ shifted a pillow closer for Qrow to curl up with on the couch, James _absently_ nudging his drink closer to him so he wouldn’t have to stretch far to grab the glass. It was sweet and she hoped that it would work out. As much as she loved her mates, she wanted to be able to stay in one place, to raise their daughters in a solid, stable home. James had offered for them to stay as long as they liked and she very much wanted to never leave. 

~*~

James stood in his shower, allowing the hot water to drench him while he pressed his burning forehead to the cool tiles. They’d finally caught up to a few of the elusive hunters, had finally managed to _kill_ them. But one of the bastards had thrown a powder that had blasted James right in the face. He’d felt the shift immediately. With the fever of his rut setting in fast by whatever drugs he’d been hit with, he’d barely made it back in time to lock himself in his rooms. Thankfully Winter had listened when he told her to take the others back on another path. If he knew her as well as he thought he did then it was possible she’d passed the message along to Clover. So it was no surprise to him when he exited the shower and found the other waiting for him in his locked room. 

What _did_ surprise him was who was waiting with him.

Qrow stayed where he was sitting in the center of the bed, legs crossed while he fiddled with James’s pillow, soft red eyes jumping from Clover to James when he came out. Deep blue eyes traced the curve of a pale neck, down to the shoulders revealed by the off the shoulders shirt Qrow had to have chosen deliberately. 

The omega’s scent was sweet like blueberries, rich like dark chocolate. It called to James and he closed his eyes, planting his feet and breathing through his mouth to lessen the impact of the enticing scent. He tried to focus on Clover, on the way he smelled fresh like rainfall, crisp like mint. Both helped though not by much, not with his rut setting in. He felt a hand on his face, opened his eyes to meet Clover’s and he didn’t have it in him to fight back when he was pulled towards the bed. Qrow had shifted up to his knees, tipping his head to show the new mark on his neck. James knew, immediately and intimately, that the bite was from Clover and when Qrow turned to present the bare side of his neck, he knew what was being asked off him. What was being _offered_ to him.

They had both courted Qrow subtly, not wanting to pressure him into feeling like he had to stay or that he owed them anything but wanting him. They had thought that perhaps Qrow was holding back because he didn’t want to leave his own pack, so it would never have occurred to James to ask the omega’s help with his rut. But with one bond already formed…

James pulled Qrow to him, angling so that the smaller male would be able to mark him as well. He felt his teeth break the pale skin, felt his skin break under Qrow’s teeth, and then things blurred, rushed through and around him like a flash flood sweeping through a canal. He was washed away, releasing Qrow to reach for the other in the room. Clover submitted easily when he was dragged down, bared his neck for the bite that would bind the alphas together. James didn’t hesitate at the offering, bare skin sliding against bare skin as clothes were torn away.

He had to fight himself, fight his instincts, when he pulled away, trying not to maul the younger alpha in a show of dominance he didn’t need. Clover had already submitted, already given himself, James just needed to take what was offered. He reached down, taking them both in hand and felt Clover buck up into the touch. The thought that he was going to have to properly take care of Clover slowly worked it’s way into his mind and he fumbled a hand over to grab what he needed, the other’s eagerness almost making him forget. He worked Clover loose quickly but carefully, stretching him enough that it wouldn’t hurt him when James took what he’d offered, what he had been offering for years. James had always feared that their alpha instincts would make such a joining too dangerous but not this time this time there was something different…

Clover bit impatiently at his lip and James growled, pulling back to position himself. This first time between them was going to be quick, he could smell Clover’s rut starting up and knew that the other alpha would be feeling it soon. Clover arched under him when he pressed in, the strong hands gripping his shoulders hard enough he could feel the bruises forming. He didn’t stop, leaning down to take a biting kiss as he laid claim to the younger man. Clover took him, demanded more as hands pulled him in harder. James growled as he bit down on Clover’s shoulder, slamming in hard and deep, gripping Clover’s hips tightly as both of them got closer to the end.

James shuddered as he stuck deep and nearly caught, his knot swelling aqs he came just as he was pulling away to keep from locking them together. Clover snarled under him, his rut fully setting in now as he bucked up to roll them over. James fought it, pinning him for just a heartbeat before he relented, forcing down his instincts and need to dominate to allow Clover to loom over him. He felt the quick work as Clover loosened him, felt the other as he entered, sliding in as deeply as he could. Each thrust was as rough as his own had been, the need to take and caim barely controlled. He admired Clover’s restraint as the other moved inside him, felt it as Clover made the same effort he had to not knot him when he came. He knew how hard it was. Every instinct screaming to lock them together. But they couldn’t not yet. That was for another time. Right now they had someone else to take care of. 

Qrow was curled up on the pillows at the head of the bed when they turned to him, both hands down the front of his pants as he watched them, lips bitten red and cheeks flushed from the fever of his heat creeping in. They parted from each other, hands reaching out to drag him between them. Qrow whined as his hands were dislodged by the shifting, by the two of them stripping him out of his clothes. They soothed him, hands sliding over his skin, fingers drifting down to where he needed them most. They weren’t surprised to find him already loosened some from his own fingers, both of them working together to finish what he started. 

Qrow sighed in relief when he was lowered down onto James, leaning forward as Clover pressed against him from behind. His eyes rolled when the younger alpha joined James inside him, the feeling so intense his heat-fevered mind didn’t know to process it. The bodies around him quaked with the need to keep going, to meet the fever’s demand to breed, but they waited, letting him adjust to the both of them stretching him. He drew in several deep, shuddering breaths, relaxing his body as much as possible and letting the two of them take all of his weight. He clenched down when he was ready, mewling in need and they understood, carefully moving until they found a rhythm.

Qrow allowed the two to control the pace, the ebb and flow of their bodies as they rode the waves of pleasure. Each crest built, grew stronger, dragged him under the tides until he felt like he couldn’t breathe. It took him a moment to realize he _wasn’t_ breathing, breath lost as he came, the two inside him stilling at they swelled, knotting him and locking all three of them together. The bond between them hummed, weaving them together more deeply that their bodies ever could and Qrow gasped, coming up from under the waves of bliss as they moved, rolling over so they could all lay. He whimpered at the shifting, resisting the urge to squirm.

He sighed when they were all settled, closing his eyes to rest while they waited to separate. The last thing he saw when he closed his eyes was the scar on his ankle from the day Clover saved him. It was strange to think of how much had changed since then, how much he’d gained but he was grateful for it. The pale marks on him were worth the two men around him and he would never regret them.


End file.
